1972 Grand Prix (tennis)

1972 Grand Prix circuit
Details
Stan Smith at 2009 US Open
Duration	14 February – 28 November
Edition	3rd
Tournaments	33
Categories	Group AA (3) Group A (7) Group B (4) Group C (14) Group D (5)
Achievements (singles)
Most tournament titles	Stan Smith (9)
Most tournament finals	Ilie Năstase (11)
Prize money leader	Ilie Năstase (£21,000)
Points leader	Ilie Năstase (659)
← 1971 1973 →

The 1972 Commercial Union Assurance Grand Prix was a professional tennis circuit held that year and organized by the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF). It consisted of 33 Grand Prix tournaments in different categories including three of the four Grand Slam tournaments and was followed by a season-ending Masters tournament. The circuit ran from February through November.

The 1972 Grand Prix circuit ran in competition with the 1972 World Championship Tennis circuit as well as the smaller 1972 USLTA Indoor Circuit. In July 1971 at its annual meeting the ILTF voted to ban all WCT contract professionals from their tournaments and facilities from the beginning of 1972 onwards.^[1] This meant that leading WCT players such as Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall, Arthur Ashe and John Newcombe did not initially have permission to compete in the Grand Prix circuit and Newcombe could not defend his two consecutive Wimbledon titles of 1970 and 1971. In April 1972, however, an agreement was reached between the ILTF and WCT that divided the 1973 tour in a WCT circuit that ran from January through April and a Grand Prix circuit that was scheduled for the rest of the year.^[2] Under the agreement the players contracted by the WCT could play in the Grand Prix events as of September 1972. The deal was ratified at the annual ILTF meeting in July.^[3]

Schedule

Key

Group AA tournaments
Grand Prix Masters
Group A tournaments
Group B tournaments
Group C tournaments
Team events

February

Week of	Tournament	Champion	Runner-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
14 February	The May Co. International Los Angeles, California, USA Group C S32/D16	Andrés Gimeno 6–3, 2–6, 6–2	Pierre Barthes	Jimmy Connors Thomaz Koch	Vladimír Zedník Cliff Richey Pancho Gonzales Ilie Năstase
14 February		Jim Osborne Jim McManus 6–2, 5–7, 6–4	Ilie Năstase Ion Țiriac	Jimmy Connors Thomaz Koch	Vladimír Zedník Cliff Richey Pancho Gonzales Ilie Năstase
20 February	U.S. National Indoor Championships Salisbury, Maryland, USA Group B Hard – S64/D32	Stan Smith 6–3, 2–6, 6–2	Ilie Năstase	Haroon Rahim Gerald Battrick	Jaime Fillol Clark Graebner Manuel Orantes Tom Gorman
20 February		Manuel Orantes Andrés Gimeno 6–4, 6–3	Juan Gisbert Vladimír Zedník	Haroon Rahim Gerald Battrick	Jaime Fillol Clark Graebner Manuel Orantes Tom Gorman
28 February	Clean Air Classic New York, USA Group C S64	Stan Smith 4–6, 7–5, 6–4, 6–1	Juan Gisbert	Cliff Richey Ilie Năstase	Alejandro Olmedo Ove Nils Bengtson Andrés Gimeno Jimmy Connors

March

Week of	Tournament	Champion	Runner-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
5 March	National Indoor Championships Hampton, Virginia, USA Group C Hard – S32/D16	Stan Smith 6–3, 6–2, 6–7, 6–4	Ilie Năstase	Andrés Gimeno Cliff Richey	Juan Gisbert Jimmy Connors Georges Goven Ian Crookenden
5 March		Ion Țiriac Ilie Năstase 7–5, 7–5	Andrés Gimeno Manuel Orantes	Andrés Gimeno Cliff Richey	Juan Gisbert Jimmy Connors Georges Goven Ian Crookenden
12 March	Equity Funding International Washington, D.C., USA Group C Carpet – S32/D16	Stan Smith 6–3, 6–2, 6–7, 6–4	Jimmy Connors	Tom Gorman Manuel Orantes	Jim Osborne Cliff Richey Ilie Năstase Pierre Barthes
12 March		Cliff Richey Tom Edlefsen 6–4, 6–3	Clark Graebner Thomaz Koch	Tom Gorman Manuel Orantes	Jim Osborne Cliff Richey Ilie Năstase Pierre Barthes
27 March	Monte Carlo Open Championships Monte Carlo, Monaco Group D Clay – $20,000 – S32/D32	Ilie Năstase 6–1, 6–0, 6–3	František Pala	Boro Jovanović Jiří Hřebec	Bernard Mignot Ion Țiriac Szabolcz Baranyi Péter Szőke
27 March		Patrice Beust Daniel Contet 3–6, 6–1, 12-10, 6–2	Jiří Hřebec František Pala	Boro Jovanović Jiří Hřebec	Bernard Mignot Ion Țiriac Szabolcz Baranyi Péter Szőke

April

Week of	Tournament	Champion	Runner-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
8 April	South African Open ^* Johannesburg, South Africa Group A Hard – S32/D16	Cliff Richey 6–4, 7–5, 3–6, 6–4	Manuel Orantes	Andrés Gimeno Jaime Fillol	Martin Mulligan Bob Hewitt Andrew Pattison Pat Cramer
8 April		Bob Hewitt Frew McMillan 6–2, 6–2, 6–4	Georges Goven Ray Moore	Andrés Gimeno Jaime Fillol	Martin Mulligan Bob Hewitt Andrew Pattison Pat Cramer
16 April	Melia Trophy International Madrid, Spain Group B Clay – S32/D32	Ilie Năstase 6–2, 6–4	František Pala	Jan Kodeš Patrick Proisy	Szabolcz Baranyi Andrés Gimeno Manuel Orantes Adriano Panatta
16 April		Stan Smith Ilie Năstase 6–3, 6–4, 6–4	Andrés Gimeno Manuel Orantes	Jan Kodeš Patrick Proisy
23 April	International Championships Nice, France Group D Clay – S32/D16	Ilie Năstase 6–0, 6–4, 6–3	Jan Kodeš	Stan Smith Boro Jovanović	Barry Phillips-Moore Dick Crealy Pierre Barthes Gerald Battrick
23 April		Stan Smith Jan Kodeš 6–3, 3–6, 7–5	Frew McMillan Ilie Năstase	Stan Smith Boro Jovanović
24 April	Italian Open Rome, Italy ^* Group A Clay – $56,000 – S64/D32	Manuel Orantes 4–6, 6–1, 7–5, 6–2	Jan Kodeš	Ilie Năstase Barry Phillips-Moore	Andrew Pattison Paolo Bertolucci Alex Metreveli Jean-Loup Rouyer
24 April		Ion Țiriac Ilie Năstase 3–6, 3–6, 6–4, 6–3, 5-3 ret.	Frew McMillan Lew Hoad	Ilie Năstase Barry Phillips-Moore

May

Week of	Tournament	Champion	Runner-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
13 May	British Hard Court Championships Bournemouth, England ^* Group C Clay – S32/D16	Bob Hewitt 6–2, 6–4, 6–3	Pierre Barthes	Ilie Năstase Stan Smith	Ion Țiriac Jimmy Connors Pat Cramer Jürgen Fassbender
13 May		Frew McMillan Bob Hewitt 7–5, 6–2	Ilie Năstase Ion Țiriac	Ilie Năstase Stan Smith	Ion Țiriac Jimmy Connors Pat Cramer Jürgen Fassbender
14 May	Belgian Open Championships Brussels, Belgium Group C Clay – S32/D16	Manuel Orantes 6–4, 6–1, 2–6, 7–5	Andrés Gimeno	Harold Solomon Barry Phillips-Moore	Patrick Hombergen Juan Gisbert Harald Elschenbroich Vladimír Zedník
14 May		Manuel Orantes Juan Gisbert 9–7, 6–3	Patricio Cornejo Jaime Fillol	Harold Solomon Barry Phillips-Moore
22 May	French Open ^* Paris, France Group AA Clay	Andrés Gimeno 4–6, 6–3, 6–1, 6–1	Patrick Proisy	Alex Metreveli Manuel Orantes	Adriano Panatta Stan Smith Harold Solomon Jan Kodeš
		Frew McMillan Bob Hewitt 6–3, 8–6, 3–6, 6–1	Patricio Cornejo Jaime Fillol
		Evonne Goolagong Kim Warwick 6–2, 6–4	Françoise Dürr Jean-Claude Barclay

June

Week of	Tournament	Champion	Runner-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
5 June	German Open Championships Hamburg, Germany ^* Group B Clay – S32/D32	Manuel Orantes 6–3, 9–8, 6–0	Adriano Panatta	Ilie Năstase Stan Smith	Ion Țiriac Jimmy Connors Pat Cramer Jürgen Fassbender
5 June		Ilie Năstase Jan Kodeš 4–6, 6–0, 3–6, 6–2, 6–2	Bob Hewitt Ion Țiriac	Ilie Năstase Stan Smith	Ion Țiriac Jimmy Connors Pat Cramer Jürgen Fassbender
17 June	Bristol Open Bristol, England ^* Group C Grass – S32/D32	Bob Hewitt 6–4, 6–3	Alejandro Olmedo	François Jauffret Clark Graebner	John De Mendoza Colin Dibley John Paish Andrew Pattison
17 June	Bristol Open Bristol, England ^* Group C Grass – S32/D32	Frew McMillan Bob Hewitt 6–3, 6–2	Clark Graebner Lew Hoad	François Jauffret Clark Graebner	John De Mendoza Colin Dibley John Paish Andrew Pattison
26 June	Wimbledon ^* London, England Group AA Grass	Stan Smith 4–6, 6–3, 6–3, 4–6, 7–5	Ilie Năstase	Jan Kodeš Manuel Orantes	Alex Metreveli Onny Parun Colin Dibley Jimmy Connors
		Bob Hewitt Frew McMillan 6–2, 6–2, 9–7	Stan Smith Erik Van Dillen
		Rosemary Casals Ilie Năstase 6–4, 6–4	Evonne Goolagong Kim Warwick

July

Week of	Tournament	Champion	Runner-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
16 July	Swedish Open Båstad, Sweden Group C Clay – S32/D16	Manuel Orantes 6–4, 6–3, 6–1	Ilie Năstase	Juan Gisbert Balázs Taróczy	Björn Borg Colin Dibley Szabolcz Baranyi Jose Mandarino
	Swedish Open Båstad, Sweden Group C Clay – S32/D16			Juan Gisbert Balázs Taróczy	Björn Borg Colin Dibley Szabolcz Baranyi Jose Mandarino
	Swiss Open Championships Gstaad, Switzerland Group C Clay – S32/D16	Andrés Gimeno 7–5, 9–8, 6–4	Adriano Panatta	Ion Țiriac Barry Phillips-Moore	Roscoe Tanner Jean-Loup Rouyer Patrick Hombergen Sandy Mayer
				Ion Țiriac Barry Phillips-Moore
22 July	Austrian Open Kitzbühel, Austria Group D Clay – S32/D32	Colin Dibley 6–1, 6–3, 6–4	Dick Crealy	Jose Mandarino Onny Parun	Harald Elschenbroich Nicholas Kalogeropoulos Barry Phillips-Moore François Jauffret
22 July	Austrian Open Kitzbühel, Austria Group D Clay – S32/D32	Hans-Jürgen Pohmann Jürgen Fassbender 7–6, 6–4, 6–4	Mal Anderson Geoff Masters	Jose Mandarino Onny Parun
23 July	Buckeye Classic Columbus, Ohio, USA Group D Hard – S32/D16	Jimmy Connors 7–5, 6–3, 7–5	Andrew Pattison	Dick Stockton Bob Hewitt	Charles Owens Steve Faulk Pancho Gonzales Jim McManus
23 July	Buckeye Classic Columbus, Ohio, USA Group D Hard – S32/D16	Pancho Gonzales Jimmy Connors 6–3, 7–5	Robert McKinley Dick Stockton	Dick Stockton Bob Hewitt	Charles Owens Steve Faulk Pancho Gonzales Jim McManus
30 July	Tanglewood Classic Tanglewood, California, USA Group D S32/D16	Bob Hewitt 3–6, 6–3, 6–1	Andrew Pattison	Dick Stockton Steve Faulk	Butch Seewagen Onny Parun Ian Fletcher Jeff Austin
30 July		Andrew Pattison Bob Hewitt 6–4, 6–4	Jim McManus Jim Osborne	Dick Stockton Steve Faulk	Butch Seewagen Onny Parun Ian Fletcher Jeff Austin
31 July	Cincinnati Open Cincinnati, Ohio, USA ^* Group C Clay – $42,500 – S64/D32	Jimmy Connors 6–3, 6–3	Guillermo Vilas	Jaime Pinto-Bravo Frew McMillan	Barry Phillips-Moore Andrew Pattison Jun Kamiwazumi Sandy Mayer
31 July		Frew McMillan Bob Hewitt 7–6, 6–4	Paul Gerken Humphrey Hose	Jaime Pinto-Bravo Frew McMillan

August

Week of	Tournament	Champion	Runner-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
7 August	U.S. Clay Court Championships Indianapolis, Indiana, USA ^* Group A Clay – $60,000 – S64/D32	Bob Hewitt 7–6, 6–1, 6–2	Jimmy Connors	Toshiro Sakai Frew McMillan	Patrice Dominguez Colin Dibley Jan Kodeš Paul Gerken
7 August		Frew McMillan Bob Hewitt 6–2, 6–3	Patricio Cornejo Jaime Fillol	Toshiro Sakai Frew McMillan	Patrice Dominguez Colin Dibley Jan Kodeš Paul Gerken
14 August	Rothmans Canadian Open Championships Toronto, Ontario, Canada ^* Group A Clay – $70,000 – S128/D64	Ilie Năstase 6–4, 6–3	Andrew Pattison	Jaime Fillol Patrick Proisy	Jairo Velasco Bob Hewitt Guillermo Vilas Adriano Panatta
14 August		Ion Țiriac Ilie Năstase 7–6, 6–3	Jan Kodeš Jan Kukal	Jaime Fillol Patrick Proisy	Jairo Velasco Bob Hewitt Guillermo Vilas Adriano Panatta
28 August	US Open Forest Hills, New York, USA ^* Group AA	Ilie Năstase 3–6, 6–3, 6–7, 6–4, 6–3	Arthur Ashe	Cliff Richey Tom Gorman	Stan Smith Frew McMillan Fred Stolle Roscoe Tanner
		Cliff Drysdale Roger Taylor 6–4, 7–6, 6–3	Owen Davidson John Newcombe
		Margaret Court Marty Riessen 6–3, 7–5	Rosemary Casals Ilie Năstase

September

Week of	Tournament	Champion	Runner-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
17 September	Central California Championships Sacramento, California, USA Group C S32/D16	Stan Smith 6–4, 5–7, 6–4, 6–4	Colin Dibley	Andrew Pattison Raymond Moore	Erik Van Dillen Rick Fisher Tom Edlefsen Alejandro Olmedo
		Stan Smith Erik Van Dillen 4–6, 6–2, 6–4	Patrice Dominguez Patrick Proisy	Andrew Pattison Raymond Moore	Erik Van Dillen Rick Fisher Tom Edlefsen Alejandro Olmedo
	Rainier International Tennis Classic Seattle, Washington, USA Group C Hard – S32/D8	Ilie Năstase 6–4, 3–6, 6–3	Tom Gorman	Bob Hewitt Jaime Fillol	Onny Parun Ian Fletcher Ross Case Sherwood Stewart
		Geoff Masters Ross Case 4–6, 7–6, 6–4	Jean-Baptiste Chanfreau Wanaro N'Godrella	Bob Hewitt Jaime Fillol	Onny Parun Ian Fletcher Ross Case Sherwood Stewart
25 September	The Golden Gate Pacific Coast Classic Albany, California, USA Group C Carpet – S64/D32	Jimmy Connors 6–2, 7–6	Roscoe Tanner	Andrew Pattison Bob Hewitt	Frew McMillan Jaime Fillol Pierre Barthes Colin Dibley
		Frew McMillan Bob Hewitt 6–2, 2–6, 6–2	Björn Borg Ove Nils Bengtson	Andrew Pattison Bob Hewitt	Frew McMillan Jaime Fillol Pierre Barthes Colin Dibley
	Pacific Southwest Open Los Angeles, California, USA Group A Hard – $60,000 – S64/D64	Stan Smith 6–4, 6–4	Roscoe Tanner	Tom Okker Tom Gorman	Manuel Orantes Ken Rosewall Raymond Moore Bob Carmichael
		Pancho Gonzales Jimmy Connors 6–3, 7–6	Ismail El Shafei Brian Fairlie	Tom Okker Tom Gorman	Manuel Orantes Ken Rosewall Raymond Moore Bob Carmichael

October

Week of	Tournament	Champion	Runner-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
23 October	Trofeo Conde de Godó Barcelona, Spain Group A Clay – S32/D32	Jan Kodeš 6–3, 6–2, 6–3	Manuel Orantes	Stan Smith Ilie Năstase	Andrew Pattison Colin Dibley Andrés Gimeno Tom Gorman
23 October		Manuel Orantes Juan Gisbert 6–3, 3–6, 6–4	Frew McMillan Ilie Năstase	Stan Smith Ilie Năstase	Andrew Pattison Colin Dibley Andrés Gimeno Tom Gorman
30 October	Paris Indoor Paris, France Group B Hard – S32/D32	Stan Smith 6–2, 6–2, 7–5	Andrés Gimeno	Jan Kodeš Tom Gorman	Patrice Dominguez Raymond Moore Jimmy Connors Ilie Năstase
30 October	Paris Indoor Paris, France Group B Hard – S32/D32	François Jauffret Pierre Barthes 6–3, 6–2	Andrés Gimeno Juan Gisbert	Jan Kodeš Tom Gorman	Patrice Dominguez Raymond Moore Jimmy Connors Ilie Năstase

November

Week of	Tournament	Champion	Runner-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
12 November	Stockholm Open Stockholm, Sweden Group A Hard – S64/D32	Stan Smith 6–4, 6–3	Tom Okker	Marty Riessen Ilie Năstase	Nikola Pilić Roger Taylor Andrew Pattison Cliff Drysdale
12 November	Stockholm Open Stockholm, Sweden Group A Hard – S64/D32	Marty Riessen Tom Okker 7–5, 7–6	Colin Dibley Roy Emerson	Marty Riessen Ilie Năstase	Nikola Pilić Roger Taylor Andrew Pattison Cliff Drysdale
18 November	Dewar Cup Nottingham/London, England Carpet – S32/D16	Ilie Năstase 6–4, 6–3	Tom Gorman	Jimmy Connors Onny Parun	Patrick Proisy Frew McMillan Barry Phillips-Moore Andrew Pattison
18 November	Dewar Cup Nottingham/London, England Carpet – S32/D16			Jimmy Connors Onny Parun
28 November	Masters Barcelona, Spain Carpet – $55,000 – S8	Ilie Năstase 6–3, 6–2, 3–6, 2–6, 6–3	Stan Smith

^* Tournaments combined with a women's Grand Prix tour event.

Points distribution

Category	W	F	SF	QF	R16	R32	R64
Group AA tournaments	100	75	50	25	12	6	–
Group A tournaments	75	52	37	18	9	–	–
Group B tournaments	50	36	25	18	6	–	–
Group C tournaments	30	20	10	5	3	–	–
Group D tournaments	20	12	6	4	–	–	–

No points were awarded for first round losers

Standings

Player	Tournaments Played	Points	Prize Money
Ilie Năstase	24	659	£21,000
Stan Smith	19	587	£14,700
Manuel Orantes	19	468	£10,500
Jan Kodeš	14	332	£8,400
Andres Gimeno	20	319	£6,720
Bob Hewitt	15	263	£5,460
Jimmy Connors	22	251	£5,040
Tom Gorman	19	227	£4,620
Andrew Pattison	21	204	£4,200
Patrick Proisy	13	172	£3,780

Cliff Richey, Roscoe Tanner, Alex Metreveli, Tom Okker and Arthur Ashe played too few Grand Prix tournaments to qualify for prize money.

Grand Prix rankings

As of 1 January 1972
Rank	Name
1 (tie)	Stan Smith (USA)
1 (tie)	John Newcombe (AUS)
3	Ken Rosewall (AUS)
4	Rod Laver (AUS)
5	Jan Kodeš (TCH)
6	Tom Okker (NED)
7	Arthur Ashe (USA)
8	Ilie Năstase (ROM)
9	Cliff Drysdale (RSA)
10	Marty Riessen (USA)

Year-end rankings (December 1972)
Rank	Name	Change
1	Stan Smith (USA)	=
2	Ilie Năstase (ROM)	+6
3	Ken Rosewall (AUS)	=

List of tournament winners

The list of winners and number of singles titles won, alphabetically by last name:

Jimmy Connors (6) Roanoke, Queen's Club, Columbus, Cincinnati, Albany, Jacksonville
John Cooper (1) Hilversum
Colin Dibley (1) Kitzbühel
Tom Edlefsen (1) Kansas City
Andrés Gimeno (3) Los Angeles, French Open, Eastbourne, Gstaad
Pancho Gonzalez (1) Des Moines
Bob Hewitt (4) Bournemouth, Bristol, Tanglewood, Indianapolis
Jan Kodeš (1) Barcelons
Karl Meiler (1) Buenos Aires
Alex Metreveli (3) Sydney, Hobart, Adelaide
Ilie Năstase (11) Baltimore, Omaha, Monte Carlo, Madrid, Nice, Düsseldorf, Montreal, South Orange, Seattle, US Open, London, Masters
Manuel Orantes (5) Caracas, Rome, Brussels, Hamburg, Båstad
Cliff Richey (2) London Indoor, Johannesburg
Stan Smith (7) Salisbury, Hampton, Wimbledon, Washington, D.C., Sacramento, Los Angeles, Paris Bercy, Stockholm
Roger Taylor (1) Merion

The following players won their first Grand Prix title in 1972:

Colin Dibley Kitzbühel
Bob Hewitt Bournemouth

References

↑ Bud Collins (2010). The Bud Collins History of Tennis (2nd ed.). [New York]: New Chapter Press. p. 160. ISBN 978-0942257700.
↑ "ITF – History". International Tennis Federation (ITF).
↑ John Barrett, ed. (1973). World of Tennis '73. London: Queen Anne Press. pp. 13–15. ISBN 9780671216238.

Men's tennis seasons
Pre-Open Era tour	1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967
Independent tour	1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
National Tennis League	1968 1969
World Championship Tennis	1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978–81: not held 1982 1983 1984
Grand Prix tennis circuit	1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
ATP Tour	1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018